If amino acids aren’t going to your active tissues, you will not be able to recover properly from exercise. Ouch!

Now it’s important to know whether or not your insulin resistant, because women with this condition respond better to slightly modified diets.

So here’s how to tell if you’re insulin resistant:

1. The hyperinsulemic euglycemic clamp. In a nutshell, this test involves the pharmacological suppression of your natural insulin production. Then, artificial insulin and glucose is introduced into your body. The clinician can tell how insulin resistant you are by looking at the rate at which glucose is cleared from your bloodstream.

It’s considered the “gold standard” and takes about two hours. And although Gerald Reaven MD of Stanford University has created a simpler version, I do NOT recommend this test. There are far easier methods at your disposal.

2. Your plasma triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein ratio (i.e., your TG/LDL ratio). If it’s greater than 3.5, you are most likely insulin resistant. This test is very simple and can be performed by a nurse in less than 20 minutes. Most insurance plans will include this test for free.

3. The size of your abdomen. Insulin resistance is closely tied to visceral fat. This type of fat gets deposited around your abdominal organs as opposed to subcutaneous fat, which is underneath your skin and is responsible for jiggly, loose arm fat.

So if your stomach is disproportionately large, you are more likely to be insulin resistant. This is by far the simplest test and is consistently accurate. And the best part is that it only takes a couple of seconds.

Now the above three tests are by far the most definitive for assessing insulin resistance. There are, however, other clues that indicate a state of insulin resistance:

1. Brain fogginess/lack of focus.

2. Fatigue.

3. Sleepiness.

4. Sugar “crashes.”

5. Poor mood.

6. High blood pressure.

7. Close relatives with diabetes (extreme insulin resistance).

If the first 5 occur shortly after meals, this is a strong indication of insulin resistance.

Why?

Because after a meal, your body has to process the digested carbohydrates in their purest form: sugar. And if your insulin resistant, your body will have a hard time doing this and your levels of energy/focus will plummet. After all, sugar is the molecule from which most energy is produced in your body.

Even worse, extreme insulin resistance can deteriorate your mood to the point of depression. Recall that insulin resistance also blocks your brain from absorbing sugar. And sugar is needed to produce serotonin, the “feel good” hormone.

Also keep in mind that all the tasks necessary for getting rid of flabby arms will seem much harder than they actually are once mood deteriorates and optimism vanishes.

Take home point: insulin resistance has a negative effect on your body AND your mind.

Now I hope I’ve convinced you that addressing insulin resistance is vital for successfully eliminating arm fat! And if you think you’re insulin resistant after reading this article, don’t panic. Because in part two of this article, I’m going to show you exactly what to do to win the insulin war. So don’t miss it!